Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (Mrs. Parker and the Round Table)(1994)

The life of acclaimed writer Dorothy Parker and her involvement with the legendary Algonquin round-table is chronicled in this bio-pic. Parker was best known for her theatrical and literary reviews, her acidic poetry, and her screenplays.… MoreThe life of acclaimed writer Dorothy Parker and her involvement with the legendary Algonquin round-table is chronicled in this bio-pic. Parker was best known for her theatrical and literary reviews, her acidic poetry, and her screenplays. Her most famous screenplay, A Star is Born, is a Hollywood classic. She is the first American female critic to be taken seriously by the New York writers. She was considered the star of the round-table. The film contrasts her personal and creative lives with her social life. The two are quite disparate as in the latter she was a gay, witty, bon vivant. In the former she was wracked with insecurity and disappointment especially in her relationships. Much of the story focuses upon her platonic friendship with humorist and critic, Robert Benchely who was always there to support her after the destruction of her two marriages, and a failed love affair with newspaperman Charles MacArthur. The formation of the round table is depicted. Parker's tragic decline into a boozy old woman is also chronicled.

"Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle" has its flaws, but it also has a heartfelt grasp of what set Dorothy Parker apart from her fellow revelers and makes her so emblematic a figure even today.

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rudolph's effort to dramatize the life of the acerbic writer is dissatisfying due to shallow script that offers only a sketchy look, and Jennfer Jason Leigh's stiff rendition further hampered by arch accent; it's all black-and-white style and no drama.

Jennifer Jason Leigh gives a great performance as one of my favorite writers.

Alec Barniskis

A unconventional biopic featuring an even more unconventional performance by Leigh. It may not give you a great sense of specific facts or details about the… MoreA unconventional biopic featuring an even more unconventional performance by Leigh. It may not give you a great sense of specific facts or details about the members of The Algonquin Round Table, but the film does capture their moods and feelings . . . filled with wit, genius, self-loathing and bitter loneliness.

cody franklin

Not a bad flix. You definatly get the feel for the time but I wanted more. I wanted to know more of the characters in the circle and what happened to them over… MoreNot a bad flix. You definatly get the feel for the time but I wanted more. I wanted to know more of the characters in the circle and what happened to them over time.

Bill Cavros

A movie a bout a life that really needs to be told, sadly this movie focuses on the torrid affairs like some grocery store rag and when Leigh speaks you really… MoreA movie a bout a life that really needs to be told, sadly this movie focuses on the torrid affairs like some grocery store rag and when Leigh speaks you really need subtitles which are cruelly not missing. Leigh stretches her voice so far her voice is monotone with little intonation to elude to her inner state.

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